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The differences between maintenance engineers and maintenance people can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a maintenance engineer and a maintenance person. Additionally, a maintenance engineer has an average salary of $47,133, which is higher than the $33,656 average annual salary of a maintenance person.
The top three skills for a maintenance engineer include plumbing, HVAC and guest rooms. The most important skills for a maintenance person are cleanliness, HVAC, and delivery truck.
| Maintenance Engineer | Maintenance Person | |
| Yearly salary | $47,133 | $33,656 |
| Hourly rate | $22.66 | $16.18 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 97,957 | 122,946 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.
The duties of a maintenance person depend on one's line of work or place of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections within an establishment, performing necessary repairs and corrective measures on wirings or machines, installing devices, and responding to any inquiries or concerns. Moreover, there are also instances where they have to clean their work areas, organize their tools and equipment, and diagnose issues. Should there be any problems, it is essential to report to the manager or supervisor right away.
Maintenance engineers and maintenance people have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Engineer | Maintenance Person | |
| Average salary | $47,133 | $33,656 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $74,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Halliburton | IDEX |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a maintenance engineer and a maintenance person in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Engineer | Maintenance Person | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance engineers' and maintenance people' demographics:
| Maintenance Engineer | Maintenance Person | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 4.6% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |